CD Reviews

The Coathangers | Larceny & Old Lace

Suicide Squeeze (2011)

By LIZ PELLY | June 22, 2011

3.0 Stars

The Coathangers' abrasiveness goes beyond their band name's graphic, backroom abortion reference: riot-grrrl shrieks, slap-in-the-face lyrics, and badass post-punk energy are all up front on their records. The Atlanta quartet's third full-length album — and their second for Seattle's Suicide Squeeze — sees them working with producer Ed Rawls (Deerhunter, Black Lips) to record their first studio album. It makes for their strongest work yet. Coming from a band that's previously released somewhat-silly ramshackle jams with names like "Nestle in My Boobies" and "Shut the Fuck Up," Larceny is a decidedly more mature endeavor with more varied songwriting. The most memorable hook is on "Go Away," a three-minute keyboard-heavy pop song with the to-the-point lyric: "Hey, you like it when I stay, but I want you to go away." The most interesting tracks, however, are the less instantly accessible ones: the more experimental psych-pop sway and whispery vox on "My Baby," or the surf-punk riffs and spooky keyboards of "Jaybird," a shrieking dedication to their former tour-mate Jay Reatard, who died in 2010. ("There's a hole, there's a hole where our hearts used to be," they sing.) The Coathangers started spontaneously as a party band in 2006, but Larceny makes clear that these girls are no fucking joke.

The Sounds | Something To Die For
The recent news that British electronic act Faithless have called it a day no doubt left dejected ravers reaching for extra MDMA to stave off the tears.
Crystal Stilts | In Love With Oblivion
Slumberland (2011)
Atari Teenage Riot | Is This Hyperreal?
Returning after 11 years of officially not existing, what's left of ATR could've focused their energies on kicking lots of ass. Instead, they indulge spoken-wordy, freshman-year non-profundities...
Let's Wrestle | Nursing Home
Let's Wrestle are another pack of young British guitar owners, and although they haven't crafted much of an identity outside of being amiable wiseasses, that's all you need if your songs are catchy enough.
Elbow | Build A Rocket Boys!
With the Mercury Music Prize for 2008's The Seldom Seen Kid , Elbow took their rightful place among post-Britpop stars.
Pharoahe Monch | W.A.R.
If rap fans were willing to worship shit from this century, then W.A.R. would already be considered one of the greatest discs of all time.
Yelle | Safari Disco Club
In the four years since French electro queen Yelle released her debut, Pop Up, a gaggle of comparable female dance-pop characters — from Gaga to La Roux to Robyn — have made their way into the spotlight.
2562 | Fever
Dave Huismans must get easily bored with making music.
Foo Fighters | Wasting Light
After Nirvana, Dave Grohl could easily have spent the rest of his career hiding behind a drum kit somewhere, but instead he risked undeserved scrutiny by jumping to the mic in front of his own creation.
Panda Bear | Tomboy
Tomboy , Noah Lennox a/k/a Panda Bear's third studio album, kicks off with "You Can Count on Me," a slab of intoxicating psychedelia that's quintessentially Panda Bear, from the gorgeous choir-boy vocal harmonies (enunciated to crisp perfection) to the plentiful reverb to the uplifting, major-key message of family commitment.
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit | Here We Rest
Jason Isbell's stint as the Drive-By Truckers' third axman/singer-songwriter was brief but revelatory: dude was a veritable outta-nowhere sensation who sounded as if he'd been road-tripping in bands of that caliber for decades.
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